The New York Game Awardstook place at the SVA Theatre in Chelsea last night, highlighting the best games of 2024 across 13 categories. The ceremony also included a special honoring of developer Sam Lake, known for his work with Remedy Entertainment, which featured a short documentary on the mind behind games likeMax Payneand theAlan Wakeseries. Nominees included some of the biggest titles of the year, likeAstro Bot,Metaphor: ReFantazio, andFinal Fantasy VII: Rebirth, as well as some lesser-known indie gems likeMouthwashingandUFO 50.
The New York Game Awards are an event voted on and held by the New York Video Games Critics Circle, a nonprofit that focuses on helping underserved student communities receive educational opportunities regarding video game development and writing. The show was hosted by NYVGCC founder Harold Goldberg, alongside formerNintendo president Reggie Fils-Aiméand writer Sherri L. Smith. The show also took time to highlight other creative gaming-adjacent projects happening in New York, like an original ballet currently being written by ballerina Georgina Pazcoguin based onThe Legend of Zelda.
All Winners From The New York Game Awards 2025
Including All Nominees For All Categories
The show featured all the expected categories, like Best Music, Best Acting, and Game of the Year, as well as some more off the beaten path categories like Hidden Gem and an award just for DLC. Some of themost nominated titles includeAstro Bot,1000xResist, andIndiana Jones and the Great Circle. The ceremony was broadcast on NYVGCC’s officialYouTubeaccount as well as on Twitch, featuring presentations from Circle members,The Daily Show’s Devin Delliquanti, actor Matthew Porretta - thevoice of Alan Wake- and many more talented people in the gaming sphere.
I Finally Played Balatro And It Confirmed Why 2024 Was Such A Good Year For Games
Balatro is an excellent game and one of 2024’s best. However, it is also illustrative of why 2024 was such a phenomenal year for gaming.
The table below lists the nominees and winners of 2025’s New York Game Awards. The winners are identified in the listings using bold lettering and the label of winner in brackets.
Screen Rant’s Experience At The New York Game Awards
Voting, Presenting, & Being A Part Of An Incredible Celebration
Recently, through my work withScreen RantI was lucky enough to join the New York Video Games Critics Circle, which meant I got to experience the event firsthand. In addition to contributing to the overall voting process - as all NYVGCC members do - as one of the newest inductees, I also had the honor of presenting the Game of the Year award alongsideRolling Stonewriter Christopher Cruz. The entire ceremony was an incredible experience, and getting to stand on the stage alongside so many talented critics was truly an honor.
The ceremony as a whole was such a lovely celebration of both developers and writers that it’s hard to single out my favorite moments, but there are a few that stood out. Some of the biggest highlights of the night included the honoring of Sam Lake, an absolute creative legend who gave a delightful speech, Matthew Poretta presenting Best Acting’s nominees as Alan Wake, a performance of a brand-new song from rapper Mega Ran, and Reggie Fils-Aimé’s co-hosting, which at one point delightfully sidetracked to him discussing his top-secret lasagna recipe, complete with pictures.
All of these images are credited to photographer Nancy J. Parisi.
Astro Bot Was The Night’s Biggest Winner
The Adorable Robot Platformer Took Home Three Awards
Just like theresults from last December’s Game Awards,Astro Botonce again took home the coveted title of Game of the Year. It was the most honored title of the night overall, also receiving the awards for Best Music and Best Kids Game, further demonstrating the title’s impressive dominance in a year filled with critically-acclaimed releases. The multifaceted platformer captured the hearts of players across all ages with its unique level designs, tricky bosses, and nods to PlayStation classics from across several generations.
Astro Botmay have gone home with the most awards, but all the titles featured were no doubt incredible contributions to gaming across all genres in 2024. Even the GOTY category demonstrated how diverse the year was for gaming, featuring everything from JRPGs to deckbuilders to sports. Though last year’s Game Awards featured ahefty number of exciting announcements, theNew York Game Awardshighlighted some lesser-celebrated areas of the industry, like hidden gem indies, the NYVGCC’s work in education, gaming-adjacent creative projects, contributions to journalism, and the organization’s future charity plans for the year.
In the interest of full disclosure and transparency, Screen Rant confirms it is on the judging panel at The New York Game Awards 2025. Our editorial process is entirely separate from our contributions to judging, and as such, our panel inclusion does not compromise our journalistic integrity.
